Lengthening Shadows
by Jessica Wolfe
Summary: -Bookverse- Two witches are following their own dark power and it leads them to the Circle. How will the Crowhaven crew handle these new witches and and old foe? -ON INDEFINITE HOLD-
1. One

Disclaimer: I do not own the Circle or the world they inhabit. They are the property of L. J. Smith. I do however own the Weavers and all backstory associated with them. Please don't use them without permission. Thanks and enjoy!

* * *

Cassie lay in her bed in Diana's house, listening to the sounds of the ocean. It had been a full day. The Circle had celebrated their defeat over Black John the previous day, and then there had been the revelation about Adam, her soulmate. After Diana had given her the chalcedony rose, she and Adam had quietly slipped away from the Circle. They had talked for a long time, expressing feelings that had been forbidden until then. And then they had just held each other, reveling in the feelings that simple touch stirred in them. 

Cassie smiled as she remembered what had happened next. Adam had kissed her. The kiss held none of the frenetic passion that had been the hallmark of their first kiss. Just a sweet tenderness that bespoke their deep feelings for each other. It felt so good to kiss him without any feelings of guilt assailing her. It was heaven.

Drowsily, Cassie reached for the part of her heart where Adam resided. Immediately a warmth flooded through her. Even though he was sleeping, his thoughts were on her. She sent back her own warmth to him and curled deeper into her blankets.

A wind kicked up outside the yellow Victorian house, making the old structure groan as it shifted and settled. Cassie's gaze moved to the window. The night outside was utterly dark with no hint of star or moonlight. She shivered and closed her eyes. When she opened them a moment later she froze. Staring at her from outside the window was a pair of golden eyes, surrounded by an amorphous blob of nothingness. The eyes were cold, cruel, and calculating. The darkness under the eyes split revealing two rows of razor sharp teeth in a feral grin. Slowly the window began to slide upward, opening of its own accord.

A deep bone-chilling coldness filled the room and Cassie began to shiver violently. The eyes continued to watch her as the darkness poured itself into her room and began a slow slither across the floor to her bed. In a near panic Cassie tried to use her Power against the... thing, but her mind was blank. No swelling of power, no rhyme of spell. Then she remembered the chalcedony rose. It was tucked under her pillow. If she could just hold it... Cassie tried to move and found her body frozen. It was as if the eyes were seeing into her soul. Reading her intention and preventing her from calling aid.

_You don't control me, _Cassie thought fiercely. _I will move and I will get the chalcedony. I will... I will. I will!_

With the final thought her hand moved. Only a fraction of an inch, but of her own volition. She tore her eyes away from the glaring yellow orbs at the window and looked at her hand.

_Move!_ she commanded.

Her hand twitched and then slid up under the pillow, curling around the cool chalcedony.

Cassie sat up with a gasp and looked around the room. The window was closed and the moon shone brightly through the clear pane, waning. Her eyes dropped to her hands, clenched in her lap. They were empty. Quickly she reached under her pillow and drew out the chalcedony rose. Had it been a dream? A vision of the golden eyes flashed through her mind and she shivered. She rose silently and walked to the closet, drawing out another quilt. She returned to bed and draped the extra quilt on top of the blankets already there.

"I'll tell Diana and the others about it in the morning," she murmured.

She placed the rose back under her pillow before laying down and slipping back into sleep.


	2. Two

Cassie paused in the act of mixing some herbs for a tea that she and Diana were making. She looked around the room trying to find what had caught her attention. She left the herbs and walked to the window that looked out over Crowhaven Road. A young woman and a boy were walking up the street. Cassie's eyes lingered on the two for only a moment before sliding away. She looked around the room wondering what she had been doing.

"Cassie?"

Diana walked into the room and moved to stand next to Cassie. She peered out the window at the deserted street.

"Is something wrong?" Diana asked.

The brown-haired girl shook her head. "I was just taking a small break."

It was late Sunday afternoon, four days after the battle with Black John. Cassie's mom was still staying with Melanie's Great-aunt Constance while Nick, Adam, and the Henderson brothers rebricked the fireplace in Number Twelve's kitchen and replaced the damaged floor boards.

"We should have it all done by Monday," Adam had said. "Then you and your mom can move back in whenever you're ready."

Diana gently nudged Cassie, who was staring out the window again.

"Come on. Let's get this tea finished and take it over to Deborah. She's cranky because she can't ride her bike with a broken arm."

Cassie smiled and turned back to the table, completely forgetting the girl and boy that had been walking up Crowhaven Road.

--------------------------------------------------------

"Did anyone see us?" the boy asked.

Ballad Weaver was a slight boy of fifteen years of age. He looked like he was twelve. His fine silvery hair and large green eyes didn't help dispel the impression.

"They might have, but they won't remember us," the girl, his sister, said.

Crystal Weaver was seventeen but could have passed for twenty. Her long hair was the color of honey with sun-and-moonlight mixed in. Over her left brow was a pitch-black lock of hair. Her sparkling green eyes matched her brother's. Forest green, fathomless, with a ring of silver around the pupil separating it from the iris.

"You're sure it went this way?" Ballad asked.

"Yes Bal," Crystal said. "It's faint, but it was definitely here."

They walked past the last house, a large grey clapboard affair that had seen better days. Crystal once again cast a minor glamour so that the boys lounging at the side of the house wouldn't notice them. She and Ballad made for the empty lot at the top of the street. A house might have stood there at one time, but now it was mostly just dirt and weeds with a few foundation stones poking through. Ballad stopped as Crystal kept walking. She held her hands out at her sides, palms down, 'feeling' the place. She muttered something under her breath as she stopped facing out over the ocean.

"What's up?"

"It didn't find what it wanted here and it's moved on. I think it knew we were following cause it went out over the water. It'll take some time to pick up the trail again."

Crystal dropped her hands and turned to face her brother. Ranged out behind him were four boys and a German Shepherd. She gave a small start and then smiled ruefully. Ballad gave her an odd look and turned his head. He let out a squeak and darted to stand next to his sister.

"Can we help you?" asked the boy with wine-red hair.

Crystal shook her head. "We were just getting ready to leave."

"Good," said the dark-haired boy with mahogany eyes. He turned and walked away.

"This isn't a place for kids to play," one of the blue-eyed, blond-haired boys said.

At Crystal's side, Ballad bristled but didn't say anything. She threw an arm around her brother's shoulder and began walking.

"Come on Bal," she said when she felt him hesitate.

"Yeah. Sure."

He moved out from under her arm and started down the street to where they'd parked the rental car. As Crystal passed the three remaining boys, she bent to scratch the German Shepard's head. The dog sniffed her hand and whined.

"See you at school," Crystal said before walking away.

She ran to catch up with Ballad. As they passed the sixth house, they were momentarily accosted by two kittens who twined around their ankles and then ran away when Crystal bent to pet them.

"This place is crawling with familiars," Crystal said.

"Is that how the boys caught us?"

"Yeah. That German Shepard is tied to the red-haired boy. I didn't even think to check for familiars."

Ballad gave her an oh-how-the-mighty-have-fallen look. She just grinned back.

"And the kittens?" he asked.

"They belong to whoever lives in Number Six."

"Guess we'll find out on Monday, right?"

"Probably."


	3. Three

Monday.

Time for school.

Crystal studied herself in the mirror and sighed. She hadn't slept well the previous night and had risen early. She'd taken a long hot shower and then spent some time weaving a myriad of small braids into her long hair. The black lock fell neatly down the left side of her face and the rest of her hair hung loose down her back. Despite the use of some makeup she could still see the dark circles under her eyes.

Cupping her hands in front of her face and murmuring she placed her palms over her eyes and after a moment pulled them away. The circles were gone and her eyes seemed to shine brighter than they had a moment before. She sighed and let the glamour go. With her present level of weariness she didn't know how long the spell would have lasted before suddenly disappearing. Better to just go as is.

"Bal, you ready to go?" she asked as she walked out in the living room of the apartment.

Ballad sat on the couch looking over his class schedule. He looked up and frowned.

"Do I look that bad?" she laughed.

"Maybe you should stay home and sleep," Ballad suggested.

"I don't think I could if I tried," Crystal replied. "Better to keep my mind occupied with school. I'll get some rest this weekend."

Ballad gave her a 'whatever' look and rose. "I made some breakfast. Take what you want and I'll put the rest away."

Crystal nodded and walked into the small kitchenette. Ballad had made scrambled eggs, French toast, and bacon. Crystal took a piece of toast and folded some of the eggs into it. She found orange juice in the fridge and poured herself a glass while Ballad began putting away the rest of the food.

"Thanks Bal," she said around a mouthful of food.

Her brother smirked. "You'd starve if it weren't for me."

Crystal nodded emphatically. "No one cooks like you Bal," she agreed around a mouthful of breakfast.

"Well, I'm not half as good as Mom," he said with a blush.

The siblings stood for a moment, smiling at each other. Then an unreadable look crossed Ballad's face and he turned away.

"We'd better hurry if we don't want to be late for our first day."

"Ballad," Crystal began.

He waved a hand at her. "Don't. There's nothing you can say. Why don't you go warm up the car? I'll be out in a minute."

Crystal watched her brother for a moment. He'd been like this ever since California. Ever since. . . Crystal shuddered to even think about it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered before leaving the apartment.

--------------------------------------------------------

New Salem High School was a large three story affair. Crystal put the car into park and stared up at the building for a moment.

"Oppressive isn't it?" Ballad asked.

His mood had lightened a bit on the drive to school. Crystal nodded.

"How long do you think we'll be here?" he asked.

"Hopefully no more than a month. If it's any longer, the thing will have gained too much power and we'll be facing another like in California."

Ballad paled visibly and got out of the car. "Guess we'd better start looking then."

Crystal shut the car off and got out, locking the doors. Ballad had already started walking toward the school.

"Got your schedule?" she called.

He waved a piece of paper in the air without turning around. Crystal sighed as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and followed her brother. Her first class was writing for publication. She smiled. Writing was her second biggest talent. She walked into the school and noticed the subdued feeling that permeated the air.

_They had a hurricane pass close by only five days ago, _Crystal reminded herself. _And they lost a principal. Not to mention the deaths before._

Some of the students watched her as she walked into the building. They murmured quietly to each other and ignored her. Crystal walked up to a group of students and gave them her best overwhelmed-new-girl look.

"Can someone please tell me where the writing for publication class is?" she asked politely.

The students stared at her for a moment and then turned away. Crystal felt a wave of distrust wash over her from the students.

"I'll show you," said a voice from behind her.

Crystal turned to see a girl with brown hair and cornflower-blue eyes. She remembered seeing the girl in Number One on Crowhaven.

"That's my first class too. My name is Cassie Blake."

"I'd really appreciate that," Crystal said to Cassie. "My name's Crystal, but most people call me Crys."

Cassie smiled at her and started down the hallway, taking the stairs up to the second level. Crystal watched how the crowd parted for Cassie. It wasn't out of respect. More like fear.

"What's going on?" Crystal asked.

"You're new," Cassie said.

Crystal nodded.

"This hasn't been the best school year," the brown-haired girl said. "We've had three people die and the new principle disappeared. Some of the students aren't very trusting at the moment."

Crystal noticed Cassie glancing around and took a look for herself. The students were still clearing the way for the mouse-haired girl. Some glared in anger, others shrank back in fear. A young man wine-red hair and blue-grey eyes came out of the classroom ahead of them and jogged to Cassie's side.

"Cass, I need to talk to you."

He raised his eyes and saw Crystal. His eyes widened. Cassie turned too.

"Adam, this is Crystal. She's new here."

"I met her yesterday. She was up at the vacant lot on Crowhaven."

"Class is going to start," Crystal said.

She moved past Cassie and Adam. She stood in the doorway to the classroom for a moment looking for a place to sit. She took a place at the back of the room and pulled out her notepad. The bell rang and Crystal saw Cassie dart into the room and take a seat. The teacher entered a moment later.

"You can all put your things away," the man said. "We're going to the auditorium. We're going to meet our new principal."

There were groans around the room, but everyone packed up and began to trickle out of the room.

"Please stay together as a class," the teacher said. "I'll be taking roll in the auditorium."

The news that they were going to meet the new principal seemed to darken the mood of the school in general. Crystal stood in front of her seat and watched as people entered the auditorium. She saw Ballad, but didn't wave. He still looked pale. She also noted the entrance of a few of the other students. The twin blond boys, the dark boy with mahogany eyes, and some of the girls caught her attention too.

The vice-principal stood and called for everyone's attention, then waited as the noise in the room dropped.

"I'd like to introduce Mr. Holloway, our new principal."

A man with dark hair and a neat mustache stood and came to the podium. Mr. Holloway looked out over the assembled students and teachers.

"I know that Mr. Brunswick, your old principal, implemented some new 'rules' around the school when he came. I believe that he had a good vision, but chose a poor way to bring that vision into reality. So I will be changing his changes."

The man smiled a bit as many of the students cheered.

"The stalks in the cafeteria will be done away with. Personal radios and CD players will be allowed before and after school, and during lunch, but not between classes. If you are caught with one it will be confiscated and you may pick it up in the office after school."

Crystal tuned him out as he continued to embellish on the rules that would be new, changed, or stay the same. She took a moment to study the students around her. They seemed to be responding well to the new principal and when she probed his aura she couldn't find a trace of magic around him. He was human and not under the influence of any supernatural being. A sudden gasp at her side made Crystal turn and look at Cassie. The girl was staring intently at the stage. Crystal returned her gaze to the stage and saw a girl with straw colored hair and hazel eyes scanning the crowd with cool intent.

"Miss Portia Bainbridge has accepted the responsibility of leading the hall monitors in helping to enforce the rules," Mr. Holloway said.

Crystal noted the tension that flowed from Cassie and many of the other students. She wondered what this Portia Bainbridge had done to create such bad feelings. The rest of the assembly was short as Mr. Holloway outlined his goals for the rest of the school year and then dismissed the students and teachers back to their classes. Crystal and Cassie walked next to each other as they headed back to class.

"There seems to be some bad feelings toward Miss Bainbridge," Crystal said.

Cassie nodded. "She led the hall monitors under the last principal. She didn't gain many friends that way."

"Ah. So why would she keep the job, I wonder."

Cassie shrugged. "Who knows."


	4. Four

The rest of the day passed quickly. Crystal saw Ballad briefly at lunch, though she made no attempt to talk to him. She also saw Cassie and the red-haired boy, Adam, heading for the glass walled back room of the lunchroom. The voluptuous black-haired beauty was in that back room, as were the two blond boys Crystal and Ballad had briefly met at the top of Crowhaven Road. Crystal saw a few others in the back room as well, but didn't get a good look at them.

When the final bell of the day rang, Crystal picked up her books, made a quick stop at her locker and headed out to the parking lot. Ballad was waiting for her at their rental car. They didn't speak on the drive back to the apartment. When they parked, Ballad muttered something about 'mail' and headed for the mail room. Crystal, feeling exhausted and wrung out, headed up to the apartment.

_Maybe I should have stayed home and slept_, she thought.

She dropped into an overstuffed chair in the living room and curled up, wishing she could take a nap.

_There's no time_, she thought. _It's growing stronger every day_.

A soft hissing followed by a heavy weight moving up her leg announced the arrival of Crystal's familiar.

"Your _ki_ is low, mistress," the huge albino constrictor said, pulling his coils up to rest in Crystal's lap.

Crystal stroked the snake's head. "I know. I haven't fully recovered from— before."

The snake touched his cool nose to Crystal's cheek, his tongue flicking over her skin.

"Sleep, mistress," the snake said. "I'll watch over you."

Crystal heard a thud, and a small gasp. She looked up to see her brother standing in the doorway, his school bag on the floor. His face was white and drawn.

"What is that– _thing_– doing here?" he asked in a tight voice.

"Bal," she said placatingly, "you know Shin can help us."

Ballad shook his head. "No. How could you . . . he . . . that thing was . . ."

Shin, the snake, lifted himself until he stood higher than Ballad's head. His sinuous body swayed hypnotically.

"Do you question your elder sister's judgment?" the snake hissed.

Ballad stared at the snake, his eyes going vacant, as he began to sway in time with Shin. The snake's thin lips parted in a smile.

Ballad suddenly blinked and shuddered. "Stop!" he barked.

The word seemed to solidify around the snake, and the long sinuous body quivered as if straining against a restraint.

"No," Ballad said softly. "I don't question my sister. I only question your motives and loyalty, demon."

Crystal grabbed Shin at the back of his head and the large snake went limp, coiling down into her lap.

"Stop it you two. We don't need this." She looked at her brother. "Shin has promised his loyalty. He won't touch you or bother you, Bal. Don't taunt him please."

Ballad picked up his bag and slammed the front door shut. He flung a letter at her as he stalked to his room.

"It's from Mom," he said in passing.

He shut himself in his room and she heard the lock click. With a weary sigh, Crystal released Shin and pushed herself out of the chair.

"I'm going for a walk Shin. Please don't bother Ballad."

"As my mistress commands," the familiar said with a dip of his head.

The snake slithered off into Chrystal's room and disappeared under the bed.

Crystal left the apartment and just walked. She felt dazed, tired, wrung out. She tried to be strong for Ballad. For both of them. It was important that she was strong, that she protected him. He was still new to his Power after all, and she was older and wiser.

_Not so wise_, she thought regretfully. _If I'd been wise, I'd have realized how strong the demon was, back in California. I'd have realized what the demon wanted. A host. The body of a talented magic user. If I'd been wise, I'd have never left Ballad alone to be attacked. Taken. Tortured._

Blinded by tears and fatigue, Crystal didn't see the young man until she crashed into him. She'd have landed on her butt if he hadn't reached out and caught her with strong hands. He steadied her, holding on to her until she found her balance again. Then he bent and picked up the letter she'd dropped. She'd forgotten she'd been carrying it.

"You okay?" he asked, holding the letter out to her.

She reached out to take it and looked up. His eyes caught and held her. Deep mahogany pools, full of sorrow, quickly hidden.

"Yes, thank you."

The young man shoved his hands into the pockets of his tight black jeans and nodded. His eyes searched her face for a moment, then looked away.

"See ya 'round."

"Wait."

He paused and looked at her again.

"What's your name?"

"Nick."

"Thank you, Nick."

He grunted noncommittally and walked away. Crystal watched him for a moment. There was something about him . . . She sighed, looked around, and headed for a coffee shop across the street. She ordered a cup of black coffee and a doughnut and sat to read her letter.

It was a generic 'hope you arrived safely' letter, though Crystal detected a hint of worry in the delicately penned lines. Though her mother would never admit it to her children, she worried every time they left home.

Crystal sat and sipped her coffee, letting her mind go blank. She just wanted to go home and sleep. A tap at the glass brought her attention to the window she was sitting next to. A large black bird was sitting there, looking at her.

"Raven," Crystal said.

The bird cawed and tapped the window again with his beak. Crystal lifted her hand and touched the black lock in her hair blond. An electric jolt went through her.

"It's moving," she whispered.

Crystal staggered out of her seat and ran out of the shop. Hardly knowing where she was going, she ran. When she finally stopped, sobbing for breath, she found herself at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the school. Icy dread cascaded down her spine as she began climbing the rough stone steps.

_It's here_, she thought. _Can I defeat it? _Bile rose at the back of her throat.

She stopped at the top of the stairs, facing the school entrance. A figure huddled there, human, hunched over. Something flashed silver in the moonlight and Crystal gasped. The figure turned at the sound. Looked at her. And fled.

Crystal ran to the place the figure had been and stopped abruptly. A dark, thick fluid covered the stairs, shining faintly in the moonlight. Crystal moved a step closer. There was a small body, dark, and lumpy, amid the sticky mess. Her eyes didn't seem to want to focus on it. A soft breeze wafted an unpleasant smell to Crystal's nose and all at once the scene took on sharp clarity.

It was a cat. It had been eviscerated, the organs laid out neatly next to the empty body. Blood pooled around the still form, matting the fur, and spilling down the stairs. Crystal turned away and vomited.

_It's happening again_, she thought wiping her mouth. _Just like in California_.

Something rustled in the grass and Crystal's head snapped up. A wolf, black with blue and silver highlights in its moonlit fur, stared at her with dark, mysterious eyes. It walked past her and sniffed at the small corpse on the steps. Dark lips pulled back from gleaming white fangs as the wolf snarled. It gave Crystal a golden-eyed look, then bounded off into the night.

***

She staggered into the bathroom and ran the water hot. She didn't feel the tears streaming down her face, nor the scalding water that turned her hands red.

All she could see was the blood. Rivers and oceans of blood.

Someone grabbed her from behind, turned the water cold, and held her burned hands there.

"What are you doing?" her brother hissed.

She couldn't answer. She could hardly breathe.

"Where did this blood come from? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

He turned her, forcing her to look at him.

"What's happened?"

She held her hands up where he could see them.

"Blood," she whispered. "Blood. It's everywhere. It's everywhere. It's coming. Coming."


	5. Five

"Did you hear about the cat on the steps of the school this morning?" Doug asked.

"I heard it was gutted," Deborah said, "its organs laid out all nice by the side of it."

"Eew, gross!" Suzan dropped her half eaten Twinkie into her lunch sack, looking a little pale.

It was lunch time and the Circle was gathered in the back room. Only a short while ago, a large crowd of people would have been gathered around the glass, looking in. But after the events of the past few weeks, most of the students looked at the back room with a mixture of awe and fear, and kept their distance.

"I bet it was that new girl," Chris said. "She gives off scary vibes, like Faye."

Faye sneered at the blond boy, then ignored him. Cassie looked indignant, but Diana spoke up before the brown-haired girl had a chance.

"You shouldn't accuse people Chris," Diana said softly. "Especially when you know nothing about them."

"I saw her last night," Nick said, surprising the group. He'd attended the meetings that Diana, Cassie, and Faye called in the back room, though he rarely stayed long enough to eat with them, and usually never said anything.

"And?" Adam prompted.

Nick shrugged. "She didn't look too good. Dazed. A little out of it."

Doug grinned as if Nick had just made his point for him.

"That doesn't prove anything," Laurel said.

"Why don't we go ask her little brother?" Chris suggested.

He jerked his thumb to where Ballad was standing in line to get his lunch. Then he darted out the door into the crowded lunch room.

"No!" Cassie and Diana yelled at the same time.

Adam and Doug were hot on his heels. Doug to help his brother, and Adam to forestall a scene. The emergence of the Henderson brothers, dashing about and whooping, had the same effect wolves had on a flock of sheep. Students scattered, some screaming, some pushing in their haste to get away. Chris reached Ballad first and picked the boy up, throwing him over one shoulder like a bag of grain. Doug caught up with his twin and the two raced from the cafeteria with Adam trailing behind. Cassie and Diana, after a short hesitation, had followed Adam. Laurel and Melanie, along with the rest of the Circle, sans Nick and Faye, were following as well.

Adam ran out into the parking lot in time to see the Hendersons trying to stuff their captive into their Suzuki Samurai.

"Crystal!" the boy's voice rang out in a frightened yell.

Adam felt the power of the cry as it flowed over him. He saw the Henderson brothers stagger, then shove the boy in their Samurai and in a squeal of tires, the black jeep screeched out of the parking lot.

Cassie and Diana caught up with Adam as he was getting into his car.

"Did you feel it?" Diana asked as she buckled herself into the back seat.

Adam nodded grimly as he shifted the car into gear and roared after the Hendersons.

"It was like a wave of fear battering at me," Cassie said softly. "He's terrified. Chris and Doug won't hurt him, will they?" she asked, pleading.

"Of course not," Diana assured, placing a reassuring hand on Cassie's shoulder.

"They might terrorize him a bit," Adam said, "but they won't hurt him. They're not like that."

Cassie tried to relax.

Adam concentrated on driving. The Henderson brothers seemed hell bent on breaking as many traffic laws as they could. Adam held his breath as he followed the jeep through at least two red lights and his ears were ringing with the blaring of car horns.

"We're gonna die," Cassie whimpered.

They raced through the town, down toward the reconstructed bridge that connected the island to the mainland. Suddenly, the Henderson's jeep swerved and slid to a stop in the oncoming lane. Thankfully, there were no other cars around. Adam slammed on the brakes and shoved the car into park before jumping out and running to the twins' jeep. He yanked the driver's side door open.

"What do you think you're doing?" he yelled.

"Did we hit her?" Doug asked. His blue-green eyes were more wild than usual.

"Hit who?" Adam demanded.

"The new girl. She was standing in the road."

Adam looked over at Chris. The other twin nodded.

"She was there. In the middle of the road."

"We didn't see anyone," Adam said. "You just swerved."

Chris's door suddenly swung open.

"Holy crap!" he yelled as someone yanked him from the jeep.

Adam found himself staring into a pair of furious green eyes. He blinked and the girl was pulling Ballad out of the back seat. Then she was gone. Adam ran around the jeep and saw the girl crouching next to Ballad, trying to calm him. The boy was shaking and white. Chris was sitting nearby looking uncomfortable. Movement behind Chris caught Adam's eye. Something white and glistening (a snake?) was moving off into the weeds at the side of the road.

"How dare you!" the girl yelled at Chris.

Adam remembered her name was Crystal.

"Calm down," Adam said. "There was no harm done."

Her eyes flashed to Adam, and he was surprised by the intensity of emotion he saw there. He looked away and his eyes fell on the boy. He was clinging to his sister, his eyes clenched tightly shut.

"We weren't gonna hurt him," Doug called from inside the jeep. Cassie and Diana were standing behind him. "We were just having a little fun."

Cassie groaned.

"You call kidnapping and terrorizing people fun?" Crystal demanded.

Adam shuddered as waves of anger rolled off Crystal. Chris was right. She did give off scary vibes.

"We thought you might know something about the cat found on the steps this morning," Chris said.

As Adam watched, all color drained from Crystal's face. "Do you know something about it?" he asked gently.

"I saw the person who did it," she said. "It was dark. I didn't get a good look, but it was a girl."

"Yeah right," Chris said, getting some of his bravado back. "We're supposed to take your word for it? You were there, you just admitted it."

"It wasn't her," Nick said, startling them all.

_When did he get here? _Adam wondered.

"Thank you," Crystal whispered.

Nick nodded at her.

"I didn't do it," Crystal said, louder. "But there will be more like it. Something's not right at your school—"

"And it all started when you and your brother arrived," Doug said, cutting her off. "You can say you didn't do it, but we don't have any proof."

Crystal stood, pulling her brother up with her. Ballad kept his face against Crystal's side, not looking at anyone.

"We're only trying to set things right," she said, looking at all the Circle members in turn. Her gaze lingered for a moment longer on Nick, then went back to Adam. "Please believe me."

"Tell us what you know. Let us help," Diana said.

Crystal shook her head. "No. We'll handle it. But, thanks."

She led Ballad to their car. A car no one had noticed until that moment.

"Something's not right with those two," Chris said. "She pulled me out of the jeep like I weighed nothing."

"That boy's yell," Diana said, "back at the school. He has Power in him. And I bet his sister does as well."

"We need to keep an eye on them," Doug said. "We don't need another Black John incident. Maybe we should hide the Master Tools again."

Cassie started to protest, but Nick cut her off.

"It's not them we have to worry about. I'm pretty sure of it. But you're right too, Doug. They need to be watched. If they're dealing with another Dark Power, something that just the two of them can't fight, then they'll need our help. Whether or not they want it."


	6. Six

"Bal, are you okay?"

Crystal stared at her brother, her green eyes dark with fatigue and worry. Ballad hadn't recovered his color after she'd pulled him from the Henderson brothers' jeep. Now she and Ballad were back at the apartment and her brother was crashed out on the couch.

"I'm fine, Crys," he muttered. "How long'er you gonna hover?"

"Until I see some color in your face. You've been white as a sheet since we got here." She knelt next to him and clasped his hand in hers. "Ballad, I think I should send you home—"

"No!"

The Power in his denial was so forceful that Crystal could barely move when Ballad ripped his hand from hers as he jumped up and crossed the living room.

"I won't leave you alone. You didn't leave me. Not even when that— that thing— back in California . . ."

Ballad shuddered and Crystal though he might throw up. He gulped air, still shuddering, but didn't lose his lunch.

"It's okay, Bal," Crystal said. "You can stay. I want you to stay, but I'm worried. You get so upset when you remember what happened."

"I'll be okay," he whispered. He walked to her and hugged her tightly. "We're family. We beat him last time. Together."

Crystal nodded. "Yes we did. And we can beat him this time as well. For good." She pulled back, looking at Ballad. "We'll go to the school tonight. The cat on the steps was only the beginning. It's building up its power pool. Blood and pain, just like last time. We have to find it before any humans die."

"It's already got a servant," Ballad reminded her. "Whoever killed the cat. If we could find that person, we could get the location . . ." he swallowed, "of the demon."

"You're right. We'll go to the school after dark, and see if we can find any clues. If not, I'll see if I can scry the servant tomorrow."

* * *

"I can't get over the feeling that those two are in trouble," Cassie said. Perhaps we should have the Master Tools on hand."

"For what?" Faye asked. "We don't know for sure that those two are witches. It might just be family problems they're running from."

"I felt Power boy's voice," Diana said.

"And I saw Crystal pulled Chris right out of his Jeep," Cassie reminded them. "I don't think a normal girl could do that."

The three girls were seated in Diana's room, meeting as coven leaders. Faye lounged on the floor, selecting the best strawberries from a plate of fruit Diana had prepared for them. Diana sat on the edge of her bed, sipping a cup of tea. Cassie stood by the window, unconsciously looking up toward Number Twelve. They boys had finished the repair work, but she didn't want to go back to that empty house. Not yet. Her mother was still recovering with Laurel's grandmother.

"Their trouble is their own," Faye said decisively. "There's no need for us to involve ourselves. Besides, they haven't exactly asked for our help, and they've dragged their problems onto our island. Let them fight alone." She popped another strawberry into her mouth.

Diana sat, her face impassive. She was officiating at this meeting, so she would cast her vote last.

"Cassie?" she prompted.

Cassie continued to stare out the window for a moment. A sudden vision of malevolent golden eyes filled her mind. She shivered.

"I think we should help them. If they're in over their heads, then this will turn into our problem. The sooner we talk with them and know what we're dealing with, the sooner we can take steps to keep people from getting hurt."

She turned to face Diana and Faye, fully expecting that Diana would side with her.

Diana's mouth was pulled down into a frown, her brow creased. "I don't think this is a decision that we should make on our own," she said, thoughtfully. "We should call a full meeting of the circle and see what everyone thinks. I can't ask them to risk anything on my say alone." She looked up and met Cassie's eyes, then Faye's. "Tomorrow, after school. We'll discuss it with the coven."

Cassie nodded, feeling a little disappointed.

"Whatever," Faye said, standing up. "My vote won't change."

Neither Cassie nor Diana followed Faye out of the room, and a moment later they heard the front door close.

* * *

Nick was restless. Edgy. He'd thought things would cool down after Black John was dealt with. He wanted things to mellow out. Would life always be this 'exciting' now that he'd started to accept his powers?

He slipped out his window to sit on the roof. The sun was setting and the breeze off the ocean was cool. He breathed deeply feeling a wash of Power as the air hit his lungs. He seemed hyper aware of it after the battle with Black John. A breeze could set his skin tingling, or the sound of the surf on the beach set Power crackling between his palms.

In some ways it was nice. He'd never really developed his Power as Faye had, or Diana. Cassie's Power blew his mind. Even Adam and Sean seemed to know more what they could do with their Power than he. But then, he'd always felt slightly apart. Not quite 'in' with the rest of the circle.

He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, tapped them against his palm. He'd told Cassie he'd quit, but sometimes– it was so tempting to dull the feeling of Power he felt around himself now. He stood quickly, dropping the pack to the roof. He needed to do something.

Something physical.

Run.

Yeah, that sounded good. Nick yanked his shirt off, felt the breeze run cool fingers down his back, along his ribs. He shivered. He kicked off his shoes and socks and took four long strides. He leapt off the roof, landing easily on the ground below, and loped off into the twilight.

* * *

It was an hour past midnight. Two shadowed figures crept up to New Salem High. With a whispered word, Crystal unlocked a side door of the school and she and Ballad slipped inside. She pulled a quartz pendulum from her pocket and let it dangle from her fingers by a fine silver chain. Ballad put his hand on the back of Crystal's.

"Try to locate the dark energy," Crystal said.

Ballad closed his eyes, hummed a soft note that seemed to hang in the air. His power worked best with music.

Crystal felt the gentle vibration of her brother's Power like a soothing lullaby. The pendulum started to spin in a small circle. Crystal closed her eyes for a moment, feeling for anything out of sync with the natural flow of power in and around the building. Without warning the darkness hit her like a punch to the gut. She doubled over, breaking contact with Ballad.

"Crystal!" her brother cried in alarm.

"I'm okay. It just surprised me." She sucked in a couple of breaths to calm her roiling stomach and stood. She held the pendulum up again and it stood out at an angle, pointing toward the back of the school. "This way," she murmured.

They followed the pointing pendulum through hallways back to the gym to a blank wall. Crystal frowned.

"Could the Dark Power be confusing your pendulum?" Ballad asked. "Or is it really behind the wall?"

Crystal closed her eyes. "It's here," she said. "But there's something . . ." She made a gesture as if brushing away cobwebs. A door appeared in the wall.

Ballad blinked. "The boiler room. I heard some kids talking in the halls. Someone died down there."

Crystal nodded. "Hung. I think Cassie found him."

"So blood has already been spilled. It's the perfect place for it to start a new power pool."

Crystal nodded and reached out for the door, her fingers stopping just shy of brushing the grey metal. "There's a glamour hiding the door. Most people will only see a blank wall. The demon'll know we're here if we open the door, if it doesn't already."

She saw Ballad shudder. Then he said, "It's been here only a day or two longer than us. It can't be that strong yet, right? Let's go destroy this thing."

"No, Bal, wait. There's the cat on the steps to consider. It has a human servant, or at least someone it can influence to kill on the school grounds. We don't know what else the servant has done for it. I need Shin for this."

Ballad made a disgusted sound. "You should have left that shikigami with Aimee in California. He's trouble. He was helping the demon back then."

"He was gathering information, Bal. We were able to weaken the demon because of

Shin's help."

"You're too trusting. That snake will turn on us. It's sucking the life out of you. You hardly sleep or eat; don't think I haven't noticed."

"I know what I'm doing," Crystal said. She backed away from the boiler room door and tucked the pendulum back into her pocket. The door vanished, and only a blank wall showed again. "We should go back to the apartment and get ready. Tomorrow night we'll finish this."

Ballad looked like he wanted to argue further, but didn't. They left the building the same way they'd entered. Crystal made sure the door was locked behind them. As they were crossing the parking lot to where their car waited, Crystal caught movement out of the corner of her eye.

A large four-legged shape was watching them from near the school, partially hidden by the building. Crystal was sure it was the wolf she'd seen the other night. Why was it hanging around the school, and why did it keep showing up when she was tracking the Dark Power?

As she watched, the wolf threw its head back and howled. A moment later it loped away, vanishing from sight.


End file.
